


Darkened Hearts and Phantom Pain

by AngelWithAStory



Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series)
Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene(s), Multi, Nightmares, Post-Series, low int; high str; big hearts, no explicit spoilers but BEWARE, nothing but respect for my himbros, posting this before brennan has a chance to hurt my son ragh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-04
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:21:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23470852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWithAStory/pseuds/AngelWithAStory
Summary: It’s still weird to think about normal teenager stuff after everything that had happened to them. After nearly starting the apocalypse at prom-  especially after all that shit with the Nightmare King - at least walking through the empty halls of the school feltalmostnormal.Things go back to normal - or as close to normal as it can after the Forest.!!Potential spoilers
Relationships: Ragh Barkrock & Gorgug Thistlespring, Ragh Barkrock/Gorgug Thistlespring, Zelda Donovan/Gorgug Thistlespring
Comments: 20
Kudos: 106





	1. I Told You Not to Get Lost in the Wilds

**Author's Note:**

> title from La Belle Fleur Sauvage - Lord Huron
> 
> I like the half-orcs man, their dynamic doesn't get nearly as much love as they deserve and I'm terrified for the finale, I just want them to be safe ;_____;

Augefort Adventuring Academy always felt strange after hours. 

Too empty. Too quiet. Like it was waiting for some kind of disaster, or lightning to strike. 

Ragh was never in the habit of staying late. He usually headed straight home after school to take care of his mother, or he had practice, or someone had invited him to a party and he needed to help set up. But ever since they’d moved into Mordred Manor, Ragh knew there was always someone there to help take care of Lydia when he couldn’t. He could actually focus on his studies - he could spend some time at the library to finish homework (with Adaine and Riz’s help, obviously), or hang out and eat ice cream. Normal teenager stuff. 

It’s still weird to think about normal teenager stuff after everything that had happened to them. After nearly starting the apocalypse at prom- especially after all that shit with the Nightmare King - at least walking through the empty halls of the school felt _almost_ normal.

The heavy doors shut loudly behind him as Ragh left through the field exit. There was no Bloodrush practice, but old habits had a tendency to die hard. 

Even the fields were quiet.

Usually, there were always some kids hanging out either by the field or by the parking lot. (The kind that Ragh would have bullied last year, but now they return the gesture when he gives them a wave.) 

Today, there was only one person that Ragh could see, all the way on the far end of the bleachers.

Without really knowing it, Ragh made his way over to them. 

“Hey Gorgug,” Ragh said, tucking his hands into the pockets of his letterman jacket. 

Blearily, Gorgug looked up from his crystal and gently pulled his headphones down around his neck. He looked tired, and Ragh wondered if he was having as much trouble sleeping as he was. 

“Oh, hey Ragh.” 

“Mind if I sit down?” Ragh asked, remembering what Jawbone said about boundaries. 

“Uh, yeah sure,” Gorgug said, scooting up the bleacher a little, despite the fact that they were the only ones around. Ragh sat down, leaving a bit of room between them, and looked out over the field. He had a feeling this conversation didn’t need him to look at Gorgug. 

The silence between them was pretty comfortable, considering they had literally been through Hell together. And had spent the entirety of spring break living in close quarters. And had been drunk and/or high together a lot during that time. And had kissed at prom. 

Ragh didn’t consider himself an open book, but he had a feeling there weren’t a lot of secrets between them anymore. 

“How are you doing?” Ragh asked, suddenly breaking the silence, “After everything that happened?”

“I’m doing okay,” Gorgug took a while to speak, looking down at his shoes as he did so. “Not great, but I’m working on it.”

“Have you talked to Jawbone?” Ragh asked. 

“Yeah, Fig came with me,” Gorgug said. He fiddled with a loose thread on the cuff of his hoodie sleeve. Suddenly, he looked at Ragh. “I meant to ask you about something,”

“Er, sure. Shoot.” Ragh said. 

“How are you doing, after- after being in Hell?” The sudden burst of bravery seemed to leave Gorgug and he looked back down at his sleeve, “And seeing Dayne and Coach Daybreak? I know that you- We never really talked about Prom. I mean, we all _talked_ about what had happened, and with Kalvaxus and everything, but _we_ never- never really talked. About it.”

It wasn’t hard to confuse Ragh, but this certainly didn’t help. He’d been working through all that shit with Daybreak, and Jawbone had helped him with his feelings towards Dayne, but Ragh had never let himself think about Gorgug when they talked about it. He didn’t want that association. His newfound friendships couldn’t be tainted by what Dayne and Daybreak did to him. 

“I haven’t really been thinking about it, bro. Not about Dayne and Coach Daybreak. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pretty rad that I got to get closure and kill them in Hell. That was pretty nice. Got to work out a lot of residual hang-ups.” Ragh said honestly, looking out over the practice field. He almost didn’t want to look back when he saw Gorgug’s gaze move back to him. “And, I mean, yeah, what Dayne did was really fucked up. Like, it wasn’t my fault I liked him. He didn’t even try to hear me out, you know. He just... punched me and told me to never talk to him again. And then…” 

Ragh looked down at his sneakers. There was a scuff mark on them which was all he could think to focus on. He could feel Gorgug’s gaze burn a hole in the side of his head. 

“I _really_ liked him, dude. I was ready to start the apocalypse because he asked me to. But then you- you know, you got through to me. And the kiss with you was the first time I’d ever kissed a guy. And I don’t know what it was that finally got through to me, but for the first time... it didn’t hurt, you know?” 

Ragh saw something drip onto his shoe and it took a second to realise it was a tear. Quickly, he wiped his face, still determined to look away. 

“And in Hell, when I saw Dayne again, and when Daybreak came back, it sorta, _brought back_ all those feelings. I remembered all the times when it hurt to even be around them. But then you guys were just, super rad and like, you took Dayne’s head off and that was _sick!_ ” Ragh realised with a start that he was smiling; that he was too lost in the memory to realise he’d looked up at Gorgug. He quickly cleared his throat, knowing it was too late to play it off casually. “I know you guys probably already know, but… I’m glad we’re friends. I don’t want to think about what would have happened to me if we weren’t.”

Gorgug nodded slowly, the hint of a smile on his own face as he looked away over the field. He wasn’t playing with the cuff of his sleeve, and the tension in his shoulders has seeped out of him, just a little. 

“Do you- Can I ask you a weird question?” Gorgug said, dragging his gaze to Ragh’s face. “Like, a half-orc question?” 

“Uh, sure. Anything, bro.” Ragh adjusted himself on the bench slightly so he was angled towards Gorgug more. 

“Your mom’s a half-orc too, yeah?” Gorgug asked, if only to ease himself into another question. 

“Sure is.”

“The forest- Over spring break, when we were in the Forest of the Nightmare King and we all got separated,” Gorgug talked slowly, pulling his hands into his sleeves like he wanted to curl into a ball to protect himself, “There was this puzzle that was impossible to solve. And I asked for a clue, but to get the clue, I had to learn a truth about my life. And what I learned was… the, uh, the reason why my parents don’t talk to their family. They, uh. They didn’t want my mom and dad to adopt me, they- they were afraid of me.” 

“They were afraid of a baby?” Ragh said, immediately kicking himself for interrupting. The feeling subsided when he saw Gorgug’s faint smile - even if it did fade quickly. 

“They were afraid of what I’d grow up to be,” Gorgug said. 

“A hero?” 

“A half-orc.” 

Oh. That’s what Gorgug was leading to. 

“I just-” Gorgug took a moment to visibly pull himself up before he asked the question, “Do you think we’re- That all we are is... rage? That we can’t be more than that?” His fingers were linked together and Ragh realised he was picking at a small scar along his thumb. (Ragh wondered later, why he noticed that). 

“Gorgug, don’t get me wrong, our rage is pretty awesome,” Ragh said, gently jostling Gorgug’s shoulder, “I mean, think about all the times your rage let you do something _crazy_. You threw me down a hallway that one time!”

“But it breaks things,” Gorgug said quietly.

“Yeah, but you know how to fix things.” Ragh almost _whispered_ the sentence. He didn’t know why, but it felt important that Gorgug heard everything Ragh couldn’t say with that sentence. He remembered when he started asking this question, and how his mother held him close, rubbing calm circles into his back as the red faded from his vision.

Fueled by some instinct - and too impulsive to second-guess it - Ragh pulled Gorgug closer to him, keeping an arm around his shoulders. He felt Grogug’s head settle against him. 

“Look, I know you didn’t grow up with any orcs around to tell you what was normal, but we’re not like, _filled_ with rage.” Ragh said quietly, letting his mother’s words surface again in his mind, “We just have a lot of feelings. It’s like... When we’re really happy, time for a rager! Or when we’re sad and we just wanna break things. They’re just big feelings that need some way to get out of us. It’s not all we are, it’s just a part of us. Like our tusks!”

Gorgug was quiet for a moment as he digested the conversation, and Ragh just let the quiet settle. Some part of him was worried that he’d overstepped some unspoken boundary between them - that maybe they weren’t as comfortable in their friendship as he thought they were. 

But then Gorgug’s arms circled around his waist and held him for a moment before pulling away. Ragh lifted his arm and tucked his hand back in his pocket. (His side felt colder as they settled back on the bleachers.)

“I’m sorry to just dump all this on you, Ragh,” Gorgug said. 

“Hey, it’s no problem, dude. It’s good to talk about this stuff.” Ragh said. 

A car horn sounded from the parking lot, startling both of them and taking their attention in that direction. A very familiar lycanthrope was stood by a familiar car and Jawbone waved over towards them. 

“Oh yeah, I didn’t ask why you were so late out today,” Gorgug said idly. 

“I was waiting for Jawbone to get out of a meeting. You want a lift back to Mordred?” Ragh said, standing up and offering Gorgug a hand up. He took it, pulling himself to his feet and brushing down his jeans. 

“I drove in, so I’m probably gonna go home and change before I head over,” Gorgug said. 

“Sick dude. Are you still cool to pick up Riz on your way to movie night?” Ragh asked, gently punching Gorgug’s shoulder. 

“Yeah, man, I got it. See you later.” Gorgug said, his shy grin back in his face after their heavy talk. 

“See you later dude. HOOT! GROWL!” Ragh called, walking backwards for a couple of steps and only turning around when he heard Gorgug call back.

Jawbone had a fond look on his face when Ragh sat down in the passenger-side seat, but only shook his head softly as he pulled out of the space and began the drive back home.


	2. You Can't Get it Off Your Tongue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did i write most of this in the dead of night? yes  
> did i continue to write this even when i could have been working on my dissertation? also yes
> 
> also the spoilers do kick in this chapter so, beware for fantasy high live finale spoilers!!

As the year came to a close, it felt like there was always a party happening. Usually at Ostentatia Wallace’s house, since her dad always let her when she asked (or so Ragh had heard from Riz). 

All the parties at the Wallace house usually had some booze provided, aside from the stuff other people’s parents were cool enough to buy them - some people brought their parent’s stolen beer, some people got older siblings to buy them vodka or tequila. Most people just drank the shitty beer from the huge cooler in the kitchen. 

Lydia Barkrock - in true Coolest Mom Ever style - had given Ragh a twelve-pack of Orc Beer, under the condition that he brought at least one can back home and be _very_ careful with who he offered a drink to. So far, Ragh had drunk about five of them, he handed one to Gorgug and Fig each (trusting them to handle the drink the best out of the Bad Kids) and had stashed the remaining cans beside the little quiet corner of the kitchen that Adaine and Riz had claimed for the mostly-sober people. 

That was roughly the state of the evening Ragh found himself in, sat on the sofa across from Fig and Ayda, with a half-empty can in his hand. The night was going smoothly. People were laughing, someone had chosen a good playlist for the mood, and Ragh was cheerfully trying to keep up with the conversation, which had shifted to some spell Ayda was working on. (Honestly, Ragh was just having fun letting Ayda info-dump, and Fig had shot him a grin when he chipped in with a question.)

The can emptied as the conversation carried on, and Ragh politely waited for a break in the conversation to get up and retrieve another drink from the kitchen.

Adaine was where she had been for most of the night, but at some point, Aelwyn had joined her. Ragh turned the corner to the kitchen and stopped on instinct. Someone must have invited some Hudol Seniors, because one of them was talking to Adaine and Aelwyn (and boring the life out of them, if the looks on their faces were to be believed.) 

A brilliant idea suddenly popped into Ragh’s head as Adaine accidentally caught his eye over the Hudol kid’s shoulder. He smiled and quietly put his finger to his lips, starting to creep forward (probably a bit cartoonishly, but that was clearly the drink). 

Adaine quickly hid her smirk behind her hand, suddenly more invested in the conversation. Aelwyn’s gaze shot to her sister for a split second, obviously suspicious, before Ragh was behind the Hudol student, suddenly lifting him up over his shoulder and letting out an enthusiastic howl.

“This guy needs a keg stand!” Ragh shouted. He shot Adaine a grin, quickly turning and wading back through the fray, stirring up the other drunken students on his way to the back yard with a classic round of _‘HOOT! GROWL!’_ s. 

Time bent in that strange way it always does when alcohol gets involved, and at some point, Ragh found himself sitting on the edge of the pool beside Fabian. He had a Duskmoss joint in his hand that was slowly burning. It was mesmerising to watch, but that didn’t stop Fabian leaning over and taking it from his fingertips. 

Ragh watched as Fabian inhaled and blew the smoke out. Strangely, all he could think about was who he was in Sophmore year, and how he’d probably hate who he was now. 

How he’d never let himself smoke Duskmoss, or _not_ get blind drunk at a party and break something. How he’d never let himself sit this close to another boy - even if he knew nothing would ever happen. How a party was never _just_ a party - a chance to have fun and to hang out with people who cared about him - it was always a competition. 

(And how he always lost). 

The music was still loud behind him, but he still heard the light footsteps approach them. It was no surprise when Riz sat down beside Fabian, tucking his legs under him so he didn’t have to let them touch the water. He’d obviously found where Fabian had stashed his hat - since he was wearing it again - and he only protested a little bit when Fabian lazily reached up, plucked the hat off his head and threw it in a wide arc back towards the house.

“How are you guys doing?” Riz asked, awkwardly running a hand through his hair. He’d stopped wearing his hat to school (claiming it was now only for _special occasions_ ), and he held himself differently ever since they’d come back. It was only little things, but it was more noticeable than Riz probably realised. (He also refused to accept that he was hot without the hat, which was a shame in Ragh’s opinion.)

Ragh took the joint back, quickly taking a drag before it could burn out too much. As he turned his head away to blow the smoke out, he caught a flitter of a look cross over Fabian’s face. 

“Nothing much, The Ball,” Fabian said, slowly straightening up one leg so it caused a ripple throughout the pool, “Mostly about what we’re going to do with our summer. I assume you’ll be working for most of it.” He sounded deceptively casual, and Ragh gently elbowed him out of Riz’s view. 

“Yeah, I’ll probably carry on part-time. But I still want to hang out with you guys.” Riz said, smiling up at them in a drunk-dopey way, “And Gorgug mentioned something about a road trip, if the weather holds.”

“That sounds fucking cool,” Ragh said, taking another drag. He saw Fabian’s hand reach up to pluck the joint from him and playfully leaned backwards, holding the joint between his teeth. 

“Aw, come on Ragh,” Fabian whined, trying again to snatch the joint away. Ragh let him, tilting his head up to blow out the smoke. 

The conversation carried on like that, though Ragh mostly just listened to all the cool plans and ideas the others could cook up. He could feel a small knot in his stomach slowly begin to grow. Something was building up inside him - maybe it was the drink, maybe he just needed to find somewhere quiet - but Ragh knew he needed to leave this conversation, and _quickly_. 

Luckily, the perfect excuse came with a cold breeze and Riz suddenly shivering. 

“You cold, dude?” Ragh asked, wordlessly refusing as Fabian held out the joint. 

“A bit,” Riz said, wrapping his arms around himself, “I left my jacket inside-”

“No problem dude, I’ll go grab it for you,” Ragh said, already standing and letting the pool water run off him. “Where’d you leave it?”

“Upstairs in one of the bedrooms. The one with all the other coats, I think it’s opposite the stairs.” Riz said, needing to lean back to look up at Ragh. 

“You got it, bro! I’ll be right back.” Ragh said. 

The house was significantly warmer than outside, and Ragh could tell a couple more people had arrived, and even more had somehow gotten drunker. Kristen and Tracker were in the corner, oblivious to the rest of the party. The knot in his stomach twisted, and he quickly moved forwards, dodging drunken students to get to the stairs. 

The stairs themselves were empty as Ragh quickly leapt up them, two at a time. 

A problem presented itself immediately when Ragh saw two doors that could be classed as ‘opposite the stairs’. It took Ragh a couple of seconds to process this and to try and formulate a plan of action before he saw that one of the doors was very slightly open. 

Without thinking, Ragh grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. 

The room was not where the jackets were. 

The room was not, in fact, empty.

For a second, Ragh couldn’t even comprehend what he was seeing. He could see two people on the bed in the dark, and a hoodie on the floor somewhere beside him. He could just about make out that it was a girl hovering over a boy. That the girl was holding the boy’s wrists down to the mattress, mouthing and kissing at his neck. That the boy had a blush along his green skin that went all the way down his chest. 

With a jolt, Ragh realised who he was looking at, and quickly snapped the door shut with a _“Sorry bro!”_. 

His heart hammered in his chest as he wordlessly moved to the other door, knocked once, and when he heard no response, entered to retrieve Riz’s jacket. After a second’s thought, he grabbed his own too. (He rarely felt cold, but he liked how comforting the weight of his letterman was along his shoulders).

The world continued to feel hazy along the edges, and Ragh didn’t really remember squeezing his way back through the house to the backyard, or when he stopped to grab another two more beers from the kitchen. 

Riz barely reacted to having his jacket draped over his head, throwing a thanks at Ragh as he sat back down along the edge of the pool. He let the coolness of the water pull reality into sharper focus. His thumb grew damp with the condensation of the beer can in his hand. 

“-agh? Ragh!” 

A sharp snap quickly focused Ragh on the conversation, and he looked over to see Fabian and Riz watching him. 

“Sorry, bro. Must’ve zoned out.” Ragh said, leaning back a little and smoothly rejoining the debate over whether sword or guns was the cooler weapon. 

It was a fun debate; Ragh definitely preferred getting bodily involved in the fight, but Riz made some compelling points (that usually revolved around how cool he looked using his dad’s gun in battle). 

Slowly, they became aware of someone calling out in their direction. Ragh groaned. The Hudol kid from earlier was walking over, determined. He really didn’t feel like fighting, especially when he just wanted to hang out with his friends. 

With a sigh, Ragh pulled himself upright as the Hudol kid closed in, standing in front of Fabian and Riz, who were watching him closely, drunkenly getting ready to join in the fight if they needed to.

Ragh had prepared himself for a punch. What threw him off-guard was the fist gripping his shirt and pulling him forwards into a sloppy and drunken kiss. 

A faint splash told him that Fabian had stood, and he just put his hand out in the general direction of his friend. The Hudol student pulled away, looking up at Ragh with a fire in his eyes. 

“God, you are hot.” The Hudol student said. “Let’s find somewhere private.” 

Now Ragh could see him - backlit by the party and out of that dumb blazer the kids wore at that school - this guy was pretty hot. Some Elven blood in him, dark hair, good bone structure. And also Ragh had seven-and-a-half beers in his system. 

“Sure.” He shrugged, looking over his shoulder at a dumb-struck Fabian and Riz, “See you guys, don’t let Riz drink my beer!” He called out as the Hudol student pulled him away. 

It was dark and much quieter along the side of the house, and Ragh was pushed up against the wall at a spot that was pretty secluded from either end of the house. He didn’t even care that the stone beneath his back was digging in a little as he lazily made out, or that the Hudol student had his hand under his shirt nearly immediately. 

It felt weirdly electric to make out with someone at a party and enjoy it and know that it wasn’t a big thing. Yeah, his friends might playfully tease him for making out with a Hudol student, but it was nice to know that the only weird part was they went to a different school. 

It also just felt nice to make out with a hot person. 

He had his hands in the student’s hair and their hands on his ass. He could feel them pulling him closer. 

It wasn’t until their nails scratched down his side, that Ragh became aware of something happening in the yard where they’d come from. It sounded like yelling, and Ragh had a small sinking feeling in his gut as he turned his head for a moment to try and see what was going on. 

The Hudol student tried to kiss his neck, but Ragh put his hands on the other’s wrists, firmly and silently telling him to stop. 

“Oh, are we done here?” The other guy asked, his voice more sarcastic than concerned. 

A familiar voice suddenly spoke in Ragh’s head, only saying _“Where are you? Are you safe? We need you in the backyard.”_

The concern in Adaine’s voice rang in his head and his grip tightened on the other boy when he leaned back in to try and kiss Ragh again. Without really telling his body to, he gently pushed him away. 

“Yeah, we’re done here,” Ragh said. Something crossed the other’s face, and Ragh impulsively kissed their cheek as he pulled their hands away from his body. “I’ll see you around, maybe.” He said. Stepping away and quickly straightening his clothes, he walked back the way he had been dragged. 

The backyard was significantly busier than when Ragh left it, and it wasn’t difficult to see why. A small crowd of people had gathered on the lawn, and raised voices were ringing out in the night. 

A few of the Bad Kids were at the centre of the small gathering, and that was more than enough to bring back the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. He saw Adaine standing next to Fig, who was desperately trying to muscle her way in front of Gorgug. There were a couple of the maidens and some of their friends he didn’t recognise (Ragh never hung out with them, aside from Zelda who hung out with them often enough) that seemed to be crowded around them. Someone was pushing their way out of the crowd, and Ragh only vaguely clocked them as Zelda. From where he was, he could just make out Skrank in the mix, facing Gorgug. 

Ragh didn’t like the look of the situation. At all. 

Still around ten feet away, he saw Fig turn to look in his direction. The moment her eyes met his, Gorgug suddenly lunged forward to throw a punch. 

It felt - for just a moment - like time had dilated with Chronomancy. Ragh watched Gorgug’s fist collide with Skrank’s chin, and Skrank’s shocked expression. He saw Fig’s head whip-round to see what happened and Adaine shout something at Gorgug. 

With no hesitation, Ragh rushed forward, throwing his arms around Gorgug and hauling him up and out the way of the fight. 

“Get him out of here! We’ll handle this!” Fig shouted, pushing at Ragh’s shoulder as if he needed persuading. Gorgug could barely put up a fight as Ragh dragged him away. 

The street in front of the house was much quieter, and when Ragh finally let go of Gorgug, he simply sat on the street curb where he’d been told to. Ragh sat down beside Gorgug, letting out a huff of breath as he did so. 

They sat in silence for a moment as the lights from inside the house spilled out onto the street. Silently, Gorgug leaned over and rested his head on Ragh’s shoulder. Ragh reached out and patted Gorgug’s knee, letting it rest there for a moment before his courage failed him and he took his hand away. 

“You wanna talk about it?” Ragh said quietly. 

“Skrank started saying stuff about me and Zelda and I got mad,” Gorgug said. Ragh stayed quiet - he knew if Gorgug wanted to tell him more, he would. “He started talking about our relationship like he knew anything about it, and he said that there must be something wrong with me since we haven’t slept together yet, and then I just got really mad. And I punched him.”

Gorgug went quiet again, but he didn’t move away from Ragh. 

“Well, first of all, there’s nothing wrong with you, okay? Skrank’s a dick.” Ragh said, managing to draw a little huff of laughter from Gorgug. “And hey, maybe you shouldn’t have punched him, but he also shouldn’t have pulled that shit.”

“You’re not mad at me?” Gorgug asked, looking out over the street. 

“Dude, of course I’m not mad at you,” Ragh said. 

“I just didn't want you to be mad at me,” Gorgug said in a low voice, going quiet again. 

Ragh let the silence stretch on for a few minutes before clearing his throat. 

“Hey uh, I was gonna tell all of you guys tomorrow, but I’ve kinda got some rad news,” Ragh said, a little bit awkwardly. 

“Yeah?”

“Augefort called me into his office today. I think he wanted me to know before he told you guys, but we, uh... We did great on our spring break project. We did like, super great.” Ragh said. He was trying desperately not to move his shoulder so Gorgug wouldn’t move. 

“That’s great!” Gorgug said quietly. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool. It also means I get to graduate.” Ragh said. 

“That’s awesome, dude!” Gorgug said, lifting his head to look Ragh in the eye now. He almost missed the warmth on his shoulder. But Gorgug kept looking at him, and Ragh wondered what he was reading on his features. “What’s up, buddy?” 

“Huh? Oh, nothing.” Ragh said, deftly brushing off the concern. Or so he thought. 

“Something’s bothering you, Ragh,” Gorgug said quietly, leaning in a little and watching his face closely. 

It took Ragh a few seconds to pull his thoughts together. 

“Promise you won’t tell the others?” Ragh asked, looking back at Gorgug. 

“Yeah, promise.” 

“Tracker... has some plans for the summer. She wants to go back to Fallinel to try and fix her God’s followers or something, and- and Tracker asked me to go with her.” Ragh said slowly. It hurt to get the words out, but he didn’t know why. 

“When would you come back?” Gorgug asked, after a long moment of silence. 

“I don’t know, dude. A couple months, maybe,” Ragh said. “We haven’t figured out all the details yet, but we’re gonna leave pretty soon after graduation.” 

“That’s pretty soon,” Gorgug said. He hadn’t looked away from Ragh, but Ragh couldn’t take the weight of his gaze. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty close,” Ragh nodded solemnly, watching the sky above them for a moment. 

“I’m gonna miss you,” Gorgug said quietly. He leaned his head on Ragh’s shoulder again. 

“I’m gonna miss you too, dude,” Ragh promised, letting himself lean on Gorgug for a moment. 

The party would rage on for a few more hours. Fig would find them, sat in silence on the curb in front of the house, and drag them back into the warmth. Riz would sit on Ragh’s shoulders and ramble on drunkenly about some clues to Fabian and anyone else who would listen. And when the party was beginning to wind out, Adaine would corral them all into Jawbone’s van. Jawbone would smile as his new daughter would recount what had happened at the party as he drove them all back to Mordred Manor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to make this a 3-parter because I don't want to extend it too far past canon, and also bc I have too many wips weighing heavily on my soul

**Author's Note:**

> yo I'm gothic-cepho on tumblr
> 
> dimension 20 also isn't my usual playground but gODDAMN I'm having fun here


End file.
